{"id":24798,"date":"2025-03-26T14:23:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T15:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=24798"},"modified":"2025-03-27T09:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T09:29:13","slug":"who-are-the-millions-of-britons-not-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=24798","title":{"rendered":"Who are the millions of Britons not working?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-1ik71mx-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-13nu8ri-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-30fcoe-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\"><span data-testid=\"time-and-date:clock\" class=\"ssrcss-1mh4yp1-IconContainer e4wm5bw0\"><\/span>18 hours ago<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oak0za\">\n<div data-testid=\"information-panel\" class=\"ssrcss-5tewi8-StyledInformationPanel eu74mg85\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"information-panel-button\"><button type=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"ssrcss-44a2yh-Button eoocusk1\"><span data-testid=\"actions:share\" class=\"ssrcss-1a1fy59-IconWrapper eoocusk0\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Share<\/span><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div hidden role=\"group\" aria-labelledby=\"share-tools-panel\" data-testid=\"information-panel-content\" class=\"ssrcss-1ygg789-StyledPanelContent eu74mg84\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-tt825r-CloseButtonWrapper eu74mg82\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"ssrcss-736yz0-Button eoocusk1\"><span data-testid=\"actions:close\" class=\"ssrcss-1a1fy59-IconWrapper eoocusk0\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">close panel<\/span><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-16sh5ob-PanelWrapper eu74mg83\">\n<div id=\"share-tools-panel\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ssrcss-1bh3963-StyledTitleArea eu74mg81\">Share page<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><button type=\"button\" aria-live=\"polite\" class=\"ssrcss-1195hht-Button eoocusk1\"><span data-testid=\"actions:link\" class=\"ssrcss-1tz2bh9-IconWrapper eoocusk0\"><\/span>Copy link<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/usingthebbc\/terms\/can-i-share-things-from-the-bbc\" class=\"ssrcss-18h2t1m-StyledLink ezys19s0\">About sharing<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-5zsoxt-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"ssrcss-1hbb5i-BylineComponentWrapper e8mq1e90\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-qt5zqv-BylineWrapper e19uhciu17\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-h3c0s8-ContributorContainer e19uhciu16\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1u2in0b-Container-ContributorDetails e19uhciu13\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-68pt20-Text-TextContributorName e19uhciu6\">By Robert Cuffe &amp; Gerry Georgieva<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-84ltp5-Text e19uhciu10\">BBC Verify<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-jlwt2c-Divider e19uhciu15\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">In the Spring Statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is announcing a series of measures to cut the welfare bill by making it more difficult for people to claim certain benefits. <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The hope is that this will &#8220;get Britain working&#8221; by incentivising some of those not working to rejoin the labour force. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">About a quarter of the working age population &#8211; those aged 16 to 64 &#8211; do not currently have a job. That&#8217;s about 11 million people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"subheadline-block\" class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\">\n<h2 id=\"How-many-people-are-unemployed\" class=\"ssrcss-pbttu9-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">How many people are unemployed?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/employmentandlabourmarket\/peoplenotinwork\/unemployment\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">4.4% of people were unemployed in the period between October and December 2024<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">, <!-- -->external<\/span><\/a>, which is about 1.6 million people. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">While this figure has risen over the past two years, unemployment remains relatively low by historical standards. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1105681-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Line chart showing the UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over, from October to December 2019 to October to December 2024. In late 2020 it rose to a high of 5.3%. It then dropped to 3.6% in mid 2022, and has fluctuated between there and 4.4% since. In the year to October to December 2024, the unemployment rate was 4.4%.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/133728108_241126_unemployment-tl_white.png\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">However, unemployed people represent only a small part of the nearly 11 million working-age people who don&#8217;t have a paid job. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">About 9.4 million of them are not called &#8220;unemployed&#8221;. That is because they are not actively looking for work, or available to start a job. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Instead <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/employmentandlabourmarket\/peoplenotinwork\/economicinactivity\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">people in this group are called &#8220;economically inactive&#8221;<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">, <!-- -->external<\/span><\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But 1.6 million of that group &#8211; in addition to the unemployed &#8211; do say they want a job. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/employmentandlabourmarket\/peopleinwork\/employmentandemployeetypes\/bulletins\/jobsandvacanciesintheuk\/november2024\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">number of vacancies<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">, <!-- -->external<\/span><\/a> is currently just 0.8 million &#8211; that has been falling consistently for the past two years, with a slight uptick in the latest figures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"subheadline-block\" class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\">\n<h2 id=\"Who-isnt-working-and-why\" class=\"ssrcss-pbttu9-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">Who isn&#8217;t working &#8211; and why?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It varies according to age. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">ONS figures for October 2023 &#8211; September 2024 show that most of the 2.8 million &#8220;inactive&#8221; under-25s were students. The majority of them did not want a job. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">You can see that in the graphic below. Click on the darker border surrounding any age group to see their reasons for being out of work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"include-block\" class=\"ssrcss-1bw6vp7-ComponentWrapper-IncludeComponentWrapper e1vuxjf42\">\n<div data-component=\"include-html\">\n<div class=\"flourish-container\" id=\"flourish-container-vjeastasia-800-flourish_on_slack-newsspec-36040\">\n<div class=\"flourish-fallback\" id=\"flourish-fallback-vjeastasia-800-flourish_on_slack-newsspec-36040\">\n<p>Your device may not support this visualisation<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"flourish-embed-container-vjeastasia-800-flourish_on_slack-newsspec-36040\" class=\"off-screen\">\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-\" data-src=\"visualisation\/12456419?123456\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Things are different in other age groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Among 25- to 49-year-olds, nearly 1.1 million people did not work because of caring responsibilities, nearly a million of whom were women.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Over one million people in this age group were not working because of illness. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The main reasons that 3.5 million over-50s were out of the job market were illness and early retirement. Very few of those who retired early said they wanted to return to work. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-5zsoxt-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man in a wheelchair reads a letter at the kitchen table\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/126410821_gettyimages-1159378277.jpg\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\" \/><\/span><span role=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-tvuve5-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image source, <\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/employmentandlabourmarket\/peopleinwork\/employmentandemployeetypes\/datasets\/labourmarketstatusofdisabledpeoplea08\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">half of people with disabilities<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">, <!-- -->external<\/span><\/a> did not have a paid job, a rate that is more than double the rest of the working-age population.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Less than a quarter of all those who were sick or caring said they wanted a job. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1le81vw-ListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/business-68639144\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">Sick people leaving workforce at record highs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"subheadline-block\" class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\">\n<h2 id=\"Does-it-matter-that-people-arent-looking-for-work\" class=\"ssrcss-pbttu9-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">Does it matter that people aren&#8217;t looking for work?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Many people are not looking for work because they are studying, caring or have retired.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Some people want to work but cannot, either because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/education-68580918\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">childcare is too expensive<\/a> or they are not well enough. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">As the chart below shows, caring responsibilities and ill-health are the most common reasons for inactivity given by those who would like a paid job. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1105681-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bar chart showing that over five hundred thousand economically inactive people who want a job are sick while over three hundred thousand are caring for someone\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/133728110_i_want_paid_work-nc.png\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The number of people not working has a broader effect.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A smaller workforce means the government raises less <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/explainers-63635185\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">income tax and National Insurance<\/a>, which it uses to pay for services like the NHS.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It may also spend more on benefits. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Since people on benefits generally have less money than those in work, it also means less spending on the High Street. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">That in turn is bad for businesses, and can affect how many people they employ, which can mean there are fewer jobs for those who do want to work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"subheadline-block\" class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\">\n<h2 id=\"How-does-the-UK-compare-with-other-countries-\" class=\"ssrcss-pbttu9-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">How does the UK compare with other countries?  <\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">During the Covid pandemic, all major countries saw their workforce shrink. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But while many other leading economies have since recovered, the UK still has more people out of its workforce than it did in 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">There is a debate about how much of this is down to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.resolutionfoundation.org\/publications\/get-britains-stats-working\/\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">problems with how we work out how many people are inactive<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">, <!-- -->external<\/span><\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Before Covid, the UK&#8217;s &#8220;inactivity rate&#8221; was the second lowest in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-49434667\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">the G7 club of leading economies<\/a>, behind Japan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The increase in the inactive population since then means that now the UK has a higher inactivity rate than Japan, Canada, and Germany.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The independent <a href=\"https:\/\/obr.uk\/box\/how-does-economic-inactivity-compare-across-advanced-economies\/\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">Office for Budget Responsibility<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">, <!-- -->external<\/span><\/a> &#8211; which assesses how well the UK economy is doing &#8211; has suggested that ill-health has consistently been a bigger factor in the UK than in other advanced economies. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"subheadline-block\" class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\">\n<h2 id=\"What-is-the-government-doing-to-get-more-people-into-work\" class=\"ssrcss-pbttu9-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">What is the government doing to get more people into work?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Last week, the Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall unveiled a series of welfare reforms that would make it harder for people with less severe conditions to claim disability payments. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The stricter tests for personal independence payments (PIP) are expected to affect hundreds of thousands of claimants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Extra benefit payments for health conditions will also be frozen for current claimants and nearly halved for new applicants while people aged under 22 could be prevented from claiming Universal Credit (UC) top-up payments for health conditions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In her Spring Statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves added that health-related UC will also be frozen until 2030.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">This is all in addition to the November plans, announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cqxwv3n87g4o\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">sto get two million more people into work<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The proposals included:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1le81vw-ListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">overhauling the health and disability benefits system to better support people to get jobs and stay in work <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">rebranding job centres as the National Jobs and Careers Service<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">offering every 18 to 21-year-old in England an apprenticeship, training or education opportunities or help to find a job as part of a new &#8220;Youth Guarantee&#8221; <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">an independent review of what UK employers are doing to promote health and inclusive workplaces<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">providing more money for the North East, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to stop people leaving work because of ill health<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">expanding mental-health support and efforts to tackle obesity.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The proposals followed widespread criticism from businesses that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/explainers-63635185\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">the increase in National Insurance announced in the Budget<\/a>, coupled with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-politics-48445674\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">the rise in the minimum wage<\/a>, will make it harder for them to create new jobs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Companies warn this will undermine the government&#8217;s goal of increasing the working population.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1le81vw-ListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c8ek3j86p11o\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">Tough decisions ahead in PM&#8217;s push to get people into work<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c4g2ywrw42eo\" class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">&#8216;I want to get a job but I don&#8217;t know how&#8217;<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><i class=\"ssrcss-xbdn93-ItalicText e5tfeyi2\">Data visualisation by Aidan McNamee. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"topic-list\" class=\"ssrcss-1qmkvfu-TopicListWrapper etw6iwl1\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Published18 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBy Robert Cuffe &#038; Gerry GeorgievaBBC VerifyIn the Spring Statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is announcing a series of measures to cut the welfare bill by making it more difficult for people to claim certain benefits. The hope is that this will &#8220;get Britain working&#8221; by incentivising some of those not working to rejoin the labour force. About a quarter of the working age population &#8211; those aged 16 to 64 &#8211; do not currently have a job. That&#8217;s about 11 million people.How many people are unemployed?According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 4.4% of people were unemployed in the period between October and December 2024,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24800,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24798"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24805,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24798\/revisions\/24805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}